Law Could Keep Some 3rd-graders From Moving On

A change in state law means that many third-graders who do poorly on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this year probably won't make it to fourth grade.

The new mandatory retention law applies to students who score at the lowest of four levels, meaning their FCAT scores show they are more than a year behind in reading. Last year, 3,425 of Palm Beach County's third graders -- 29 percent -- had such a score.

"This is going to have a strong impact on our district," Brian Killeen, a program planner who oversees the rules that govern student promotion, told School Board members on Monday.

The new law replaces an older, less stringent one that last year applied to fourth graders. In addition to changing the standard for retaining poor readers, the state has tightened the loopholes that made it possible for students who didn't meet that standard to move on.

The amended law is part of the state's effort to end social promotion, the practice of advancing students who don't meet academic standards but are deemed too old or too big for a particular grade.

Officially, social promotion wasn't allowed last year, either. But School Board members and staff admitted on Monday that some students were still promoted simply because of their age or size.

"I know kids who have been promoted who can't read," board member Susan Whelchel said. The mandatory retention law applies to every third-grader except some special-education students and those who are still learning English.

There are two ways for third-graders who score poorly on the FCAT to move on to fourth grade.

Like last year, teachers who think a student's FCAT score isn't a true indication of a student's reading ability may assemble samples of their work to prove the child should pass. But now the teacher's recommendation must make its way to Superintendent Art Johnson, who must review it and recommend in writing whether the student should be retained or promoted.

Last year, principals reviewed the students' situation. If they agreed with the teacher, the area superintendent was likely to approve the recommendation and the child was promoted, Killeen said.

The law also allows districts to pass third-graders who do well on an alternate test. The state in the spring will tell districts which test that is.

The state will watch each district to see how many third-graders who don't meet reading standards wind up in fourth grade, Killeen said.

If it determines Palm Beach County has promoted too many third-graders who didn't meet the state's reading standard, Johnson would have to testify before the state Board of Education. If they don't like his explanation, the state could withhold money from the district or deny Johnson part of his salary, Killeen said.

Johnson said he will promote as many students as possible through the exemptions, but said there is no question more third-graders will now fail.

Retention may help a third-grader who isn't reading well, Johnson said, but multiple retentions can be harmful. "There's a maturation piece that cannot be ignored. When you have students who are three to four years older than their peers, it's an arrangement that's not appropriate."

Johnson said the district would have to come up with alternative placements for older elementary students, so as to avoid "15-year-old fifth-graders."

Killeen didn't know on Monday how many fourth-graders were promoted last year through a loophole.

"It was much higher than the state would have liked," he said.

Kellie Patrick can be reached at kpatrick@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6629.